Armenian parliament passes bill on names of electoral alliances

The Armenian parliament on Tuesday approved in the first reading a bill banning electoral alliances from using personal names in their titles, a measure proposed by lawmakers from the ruling Civil Contract party.

The draft amendments to the Electoral Code, introduced by MPs Arusyak Julhakyan, Alkhas Ghazaryan and Artur Hovhannisyan, passed with 66 votes in favor and 16 against. Debate on the second reading will follow after a three-hour recess.

The bill stipulates that alliances cannot include personal names, state or local government bodies, or offensive and defamatory wording in their names. Julhakyan said the change corrects a technical gap in current law, stressing that democratic tools should not be used “to fight against democracy”.